The Rong (Dragon) Bridge, reaching over the Han River in the central city, has claimed the American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC) Diamond Award in the category of structural systems.

Deputy team leader from Luis Berger's Da Nang Office, Phan Cong Hieu told Viet Nam News yesterday that judges in the 2014 Engineering Excellence Awards Competition had selected the entry by the Luis Berger Group and Ammann & Whitney for the awards last month.

The award ceremony will take place at a black tie gala on March 29 in the Grand Ballroom of the Waldorf Astoria, Park Avenue at 50th Street, New York.

The 666m Rong Bridge, which was inaugurated on the city's Liberation Day on March 2, connects the main road to the airport and My Khe beach in Son Tra peninsula, and the UNESCO-recognised world heritage Hoi An city.

The bridge, constructed in the shape of a dragon, is designed to breathe fire from the dragon's head on Saturday and Sunday nights, while spraying water during the daytime.

The 500m long body of the dragon was built using five 1.2m arched steel pipes measuring a total weight of 1,000 tonnes. The six-lane bridge is illuminated by 5,000 LED lights at night

The dragon's head is inspired by the stone dragon design from Ly Dynasty with a tail in the shape of a lotus.

The central city's department of transport has registered the Rong (Dragon) Bridge for the Guinness World Record as the ‘largest steel dragon'.

Source: VNS